Since the beginning of Big Sky Conference (BSC) play, the Idaho Vandals have posted a record of 1-7 in their last eight games without a win on the road.
Interim Head Coach Zac Claus looks to rally his team in the final half of the season by focusing on hard work in practice, studying scouting reports and tightening offensive possessions to allow for more scoring opportunities.
“We’ve got to continue to work hard each and every day in practice, ramp up the attention to detail too, honing in on scouting reports and understanding who you’re guarding each and every night, execution offensively, setting great screens and taking care of the ball so we finish every possession taking a great shot. And if we can do those things then we can start winning games,” Claus said.
The Vandals have five losses within four points or less. The recent loss of 28 points against Southern Utah is the biggest point deficit they’ve had in conference play this season.
Senior guard Trevon Allen has led the way for the Vandals, averaging 19.5 points and in the BSC he has raised it to 20.3.
Idaho is on a five-game losing streak with a three-game road stretch coming up. The team will look to capitalize and win its first away game against Northern Arizona on Saturday.
The Vandals are averaging 43.8% shooting from two-point field goals with most of their points coming from inside the paint. They will continue looking for that success in upcoming games. Their three-point shots are still being developed; they are shooting 30.5% from behind the arc.
Bench scoring and second-chance points have been a factor all season and will continue as the season goes on.
“It’s been huge, we’re trying to get the ball in the paint whether it be on post touches or penetration. We’re trying to get ourselves to the line so we can score with the clock stopped and hit free throws,” Claus said. “At the same time, we’ve got depth now, because we’ve become more healthy, and we rely on all of our guys that are expected to be ready to go in a moment’s notice. We just got to do a little bit more to finish off games.”
The Vandals are currently last in the BSC and will look to turn things around in February.
Armin Mesinovic can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @arminmesinovic